Pilot Episode – The Women’s Podcast
Posted on: May 6, 2010
I am really excited to add an audio section to this blog that I hope will be at least weekly. Good friend Daniele Rossi, creator of the site Stuttering is Cool, encouraged me to start a podcast that would just focus on women who stutter and our stories. There doesn’t appear to be any other podcast devoted specifically to women and our stuttering journeys.
Danny has helped guide me through the basic steps of launching a podcast and adding it to this site. He may not realize it, but he will probably become my podcast mentor. He helped me get some (free) recording software and was patient with me as I worked with my first audio file longer than 10 minutes. I met Danny on Twitter, along with lots of other really amazing people who just happen to stutter.
I pretty much know this will be a work in progress. I hope to get better each week with the logistics of posting audio files. The most important thing is the honest dialogue with women who stutter as we share our stories.
I am pleased to welcome my very first guest, Tamara Nunes Williams. She is a wife, mother, daughter, college student, and care giver to persons with disabilities. And she happens to stutter. She has an amazing story. Please listen to Episode 1.
12 Responses to "Pilot Episode – The Women’s Podcast"
May 6, 2010 at 11:20 AM
If it isn’t too much work, could you please make a transcript of this podcast and the future ones?
I’m not from an English-speaking country, and listening to people is easier if I can read it.
I’m also a woman who stutters, by the way, and you have my seal of approval for starting those podcast about us!
May 6, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Great work Pam. Very inspiring story from Tamara.
I am up for the challenge of contributing, just let me know when.
With reference Burt’s comment, I think men manages stuttering better than women, because a lot of them do not seem to be bothered by stuttering at all. My husband stutters and I interview him from time to time on the issue and he says, I just dont think about it, I do what I have to do. I see where Tamara’s father seem to be doing good with his stuttering.
My father stutters too and does not seem bothered stuttering in public. I am sure a lot of men are bothered by stuttering, but a lot too, are not bothered much by it.
May 6, 2010 at 2:48 PM
Love the first episode, great job Tamara. @ Annetta my dad stutters also (me and dad are the only one’s that do) and he also doesn’t seem to be bothered by it in public. So it’s hard to talk w/ when he is so ok with it I guess I don’t really know how he feels.
May 7, 2010 at 3:16 PM
Hey Pam, congrats on your podcast!
I feel compelled to respond to one of your posts. You said, “I think women have more of an emotional experience with stuttering than men do.” I don’t think that’s true. I certainly think that there may be a lot of different experiences, and different types of emotions. Shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, etc., are all very strong emotions, and men (generally speaking) have lots of those! Also, I think there’s something to the “men are more confident” thing (due to societal pressures perhaps) but that doesn’t make the experience any less hard, in my opinion. I want to hear more about the different kinds of emotions!
Keep it up!
May 8, 2010 at 1:00 AM
Hey Eric,
First of all, thanks for listening and commenting. I didn’t think I would get one of the heavy-hitters so soon. I am glad you did, because you and Peter have been great role models for me and being on Stuttertalk a couple of times was special.
I agree with you – I don’t intend to negate the experience for anyone, and that may be how it sounded when I said women have more of an emotional experience. That is not fair, because I can’t know that and don’t want to assume anything. I think what I am getting at is that women experience lots of things differently than men, and so of course its true that would include stuttering. The confidence thing – yes, definitely societal and how raised as well – but the actual emotions are surely the same, maybe just expressed differently.
I should be more careful how I say things, because it has got me in hot water in the past. 🙂
So, I am glad to have your feedback, and others too, because the last thing I want is to alienate anyone interested in stuttering perspectives.
I guess the whole reason behind doing this is to continually “make room for (all the different experiences of) the stuttering”.
I hope I can keep it up, and don’t get frustrated by the effort it takes to do this. I have a great appreciation for what “Stuttertalk” and “Stuttering is Cool” do.
May 9, 2010 at 12:00 AM
Congratulations Pam! Thank you Tamara for sharing with us. As Pam knows, I am a SLP who stutters and follow Pam’s blog. I would be open to contributing if you wanted me to.
In regard to emotions, I think it is important to recognize that we are people who stutter. I don’t think we can generalize men and women or who manages stuttering better. I have worked with over 100 PWS ,if not more ,and they all handle it differently. I think you are correct in “making room” for all different experiences. Again, congratulations Pam on this great accomplishment.
May 10, 2010 at 3:17 PM
Great podcast ladies ,I feel anyone who stutters and goes on a podcast is a very brave person ,but Pam you know my thoughts on the opinion of being recorded and how I hate my voice and how I sound !!!
I do feel women are more emotional about their speech and how it makes ,(well me anyway) feel unattractive and less of a woman.
I do recognize that some men might find it not a macho thing to have and deal with.
But I feel women do struggle most ,with this .
Look forward to the next one
Lisa x
May 22, 2010 at 8:16 AM
Pam and Tamara
Sorry this has taken a while but I have just listened to this podcast. It’s great!!!! It is so good to hear 2 women talking about stuttering in this way. So often we don’t get to meet other women who stutter and I’m sure this will help women around the world who listen to it.
I was particularly interested in Tamara’s experience of being inspired to stop hiding her stutter by children with Tourette’s. It’s my belief that PWS can get a lot of support/confidence by sharing experiences with people with other disabilities, it has certainly helped me. Although I do realise that many people who have a stutter do not wish to identify as disabled.
Both of you have made a great contribution and I look forward to more podcasts.
Take care
Christine
Make Room For The Stuttering 
May 6, 2010 at 10:45 AM
Excellent podcast. Well done Pam & Tamara. Good to see great minds meeting and discussing 😉
Tamara made very good points.
Being a male who stutters, I still don’t quite see whether there are really differences between men and women in this respect, but OK, anyway this is not a reason not to listen to this excellent podcast.
Keep on the good work!
May 6, 2010 at 3:46 PM
Hey Burt,
Thanks for the feedback. Obviously there is not much difference in the stuttering itself, beyond that we are all unique in how we stutter. I just think women tend to feel somewhat isolated in the community – both real and virtual. I know I have. When I go to a support group, it is usually 10 -1 (if not more) in favor of men. Statistically, there are 4 men who stutter to every 1 woman, so this community is predominately men. The two major stuttering podcaasts are hosted by men, and men are more often the guests.
So . . . this just might fill the space. Of course I encourage men to listen and who knows, I may even consider having a guy share his thoughts once in a while. But I think women have more of an emotional experience with stuttering than men do. Time will tell, as women share their thoughts, right? I am glad to hear you think its excellent. That’s great to hear. Thanks! I do hope men tune in to listen . . . . .
May 31, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Very good points, Pam.
I agree that the men/women stutterers imbalanced ratio certainly does create differences. I wish that podcast will explore those, it will certainly bring lots of insights for us men who stutter (that is, the majority 😉 )
I promise I will tune in to listen that podcast so that will be at least oner male listener, and I’m sure there will be many others.
I think that it is fair to say that this podcast already has earned its position in the “three main podcasts on stuttering”, so, you are already beatin the odds Pam!
May 31, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Burt,
I am fond of the book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. This talks about the differences between men and women in relationships. I am sure there are parallels in our stuttering experience as well, so you can rest assured, this will be explored.